Worldly Gnome
  • Jump with Me
  • Tales from the Road
  • The Couchsurfing Experience
  • Cost Calculator
  • Meet Kristin

The Emerald Cave Surprise

11/21/2014

0 Comments

 
I would like to start with a big thank you to those who have donated. Ozzy from Washington your donation treated me to some vegetarian fried rice and whole wheat bread. Frankie and I both say thank you! Debbie from Oregon your donation completely covered the Four Island Boat Tour. Without your donation I wouldn’t have gone on the tour. It was a really great experience and enabled me to see the famous Morakot Cave! Thank you so much. Hang from California gets a huge shout out for assisting me with my flight from Thailand to Laos AND my flight from Cambodia to Malaysia. When I saw your contribution, I was very moved by your thoughtfulness and the fact that I am so lucky to have people like you in my life. Thank you for the support and more importantly the friendship. I have been very surprised by all of your generosity and can’t say how much the gifts have touched me. I will do my best to pay the kindness forward.

The island of Ko Lanta has been my home for over eight days now. One reason we picked it is because it isn’t a mad party island like Phuket and it is famous for having a lot of yoga resorts. I took a class at the SriLanta Resort and only wish I had the time and money to stay for one of their week long packages. The package includes two yoga classes on the beach everyday as well as daily massages. The instructor was wonderful. She spoke English to me and German to my one and only classmate. She was very pleased by our level and led us through an advanced series of postures. We ended the class with handstands and meditation in the sand. What a perfect way to start your day!

Unfortunately, we have been plagued a bit by rain. The day we rented scooters to drive around the island and visit Old Town proved to be an absolute tropical storm. The weather prevented us from meeting up with Alicia and Cristina (the cool Californians I met scuba diving), but didn’t keep me from having dinner with the lovely Irish Kat. I met Kat the first day diving and immediately clicked with her. One of the best parts of travel is meeting new people, especially those select few you know you would be close to if only you would be in the same place long enough. Well, Kat is one of those people. She is traveling roughly the same path as me and I have a sneaky suspicion you will be hearing a lot about her in the future.

Other than meeting great people, scuba diving, yoga and beach time the main activity we participated in was the Four Island Boat Tour. We piled into a long boat and set out for snorkeling. After scuba diving snorkeling is pretty lame. It especially rubbed us the wrong way because the crew kept feeding the fish. During our scuba certification Maarten was very adamant that feeding any fish, sharks, etc. is a bad practice. It teaches the animals to associate humans with food and often this mentality is what leads to attacks.

I was incredibly surprised when the tour took us to the famous Emerald Cave. I had seen a show on the travel channel showing people exploring it. I didn’t even realize we were staying so close to it! We all jumped into the water and swam into the cave. At that point I was just expecting to swim into a grotto and to sway into other tourists while being unimpressed. Contrary to my expectations we swam for 80 meters into a long dark corridor. The group’s strokes made the water lap against the walls. Other than that there was no current. The cave was filled with the slightly nervous jokes of our fellow travelers and an occasional sibling prank. Near the end of the cave sunlight shone through and the water emanated a bright green. We swam out of the cave and into a stunning lagoon. I couldn’t believe it! The lagoon is at the bottom of a sheer rock shaft. The walls all the way up are covered in vegetation and are home to some curious monkeys. Just out of the water is a sign explaining that this was a hiding place for pirates’ treasure at one time and before that a great place for the locals to find swallow eggs.

Besides the sights the trip was enriched by the people we met. There was a very friendly family on board from Washington. Their daughter reminded me a lot of my younger self. She was very talkative and animated and very fun to chat with. There were several nice couples as well. One couple was surprised to discover that Tim is Dutch. The woman is Dutch and her boyfriend is French. They assumed Tim was American due to his accent and him being with us. It was a great day with very nice people.

0 Comments

Bruce Willis Ruins All Films

11/19/2014

2 Comments

 
Why pick on Bruce you ask? Well actually it has absolutely nothing to do with Bruce’s acting abilities. BWRAF is an acronym used to help you remember to properly audit your scuba gear before entering the water. I now know this because I am officially PADI certified to dive up to (or down to) 18 meters. I am so glad that I did the course and stuck with it, obnoxious Dutch instructor and all.

The first day of the course was in a pool and the wind was blowing. Being in the pool from 9 to 4 really took its toll. I started to shake around noon and didn’t stop until we were back at the hostel. The last few skills we learned I struggled with. I kept telling Maarten (our instructor) that the reason I couldn’t take off my mask at the bottom of the pool was because my fight or flight response is so honed due to the extent I have evolved beyond my fellow pool dwellers. Even though I got a chuckle, I was still going to have to take my mask off at the bottom of the dang pool. After much frustration, I was given the ok signal and allowed to leave the labor camp I mean pool. Now that I have done it, taking off your mask and putting it back on underwater doesn’t seem to be a big deal at all, but at that time let me tell you.

The next two days were spent at sea. Maarten was an excellent teacher and did a great job of making me feel comfortable. At first I was worried he was going to be the tough love type who would force me to stay under even if I felt like I needed to surface. He wasn’t and I never needed to flee. During the part where I had to take off my mask under 5 meters of water I just channeled Krishdga. I had told her the night before that I was feeling a bit uncomfortable with being 18 meters under water. Her response was, “I just went to the aquarium. Fish are so excellent to meditate on.” So instead of panicking about the water rushing up my nostrils, I heard Krish encouraging me to stay calm and to meditate with the fish. Even from thousands of miles away she has an amazing ability to emit strength and tranquility.  As soon as I got past the idea of being so deep, I realized that I am able to move quite well in the water. It is amazing how much your size impacts how long you can stay at those depths. You start with a tank of 200 bar. The target is to reach the surface with 50 bar remaining just to be safe. We would dive until one of us got close to the 50 bar mark. Almost every time we surfaced I still had over 110 bar. There are several factors behind this. One is simply my size. I require a lot less oxygen than Tim. Other factors are how efficiently you move and how much energy you exert panicking.

On the first dive we saw a huge school of Blue Striped Snapper. They ebbed and moved as if one organism and created a visually impenetrable wall. Seeing them was by far the highlight for me. During the last dive we swam past a Leopard Shark dozing and saw a Great Barracuda.  Besides the awesome experience of existing alongside fish in their natural environment, I really enjoyed the fact that I didn’t let my fear of being under water for an extended period prevent me from doing it. Pushing yourself to do things outside of your comfort zone can lead to great growth.  

Maarten was patient with my antics and continued to say that we weren’t done until we could master the skills for our own safety. As time went on our relationship became increasingly more sarcastic and by the end of our certification I dare say he was fond of me (I am sure at the beginning he was feeling bad for himself having to be stuck in the pool with me). He kept saying, “If looks could kill, I think I would have died the first day in that pool.” Well, thank you Maarten for exposing me to a whole new world under the sea and for making me feel so confident in my own abilities. I can’t recommend him and the other instructors at Go Dive (Ko Lanta) enough.


2 Comments

Luxury at Railay

11/15/2014

0 Comments

 
One of the nicest beach areas in Thailand is the Nang Cape. The area is only accessible by boat which gives it an isolated island feel. The cape is made up of four beaches. All have stunning views of sandstone cliffs and rock formations. Just a short boat ride away is the island Ko Phi Phi (pronounced pee pee) and Maya Bay, which is where the movie The Beach was filmed. Matt and I had a bit of an ordeal just to reach our resort. The first boatman I spoke with said we needed to wait and have four people on the boat to make the trip. I went out in search of any foreigner I could find and asked if they were heading out to Railay. I found a Spanish couple and we decided to join forces. At this point the boatmen changed his number from four passengers to 8. Or we could pay double. This is how I realized I was no longer in Kansas. Japan and Taiwan are such easy places to travel. There is no haggling and prices are basically fixed. Thailand is a loud and pushy place in which aggressive negotiation is necessary for even the most basic things like water. After much hemming and hawing we were finally on the boat with an Australian, the Spanish couple, an Irish woman, and her New Zealander boyfriend. Once on the island it was smooth and easy sailing. We pulled up and were in our room a few minutes later. We stayed at the Railay Beach Resort and Spa for four relaxing days. We explored a cave, swam in the 85 degree water, got massages, drank banana lassi, ate straight out of the ocean fish, watched rock climbers scaling the cliffs, and enjoyed a Showtime show on Matt’s iPad. Basically, it was reallllly rough.

One of the standout moments was while speaking to someone on the phone a baby monkey appeared and crossed the threshold into my room. I was obviously startled and jumped up to rescue all of our clothes drying on the balcony. Of course the baby was not alone. He was accompanied by 6 friends. They were very curious and not shy at all. Several came within 2 feet of me. Our neighbor’s ash tray was a point of sheer enjoyment for one of the monkeys. He picked it up, examined it, tasted the ash, and placed it upside down on his head. His hat remained in place for some time. They provided me with at least half an hour of entertainment and left behind a present of feces.

Next stop is Ko Lanta!

0 Comments

Wat the Tuk Tuk??

11/7/2014

0 Comments

 
4:00 PM Osaka –

Me: “Hi. I am taking a flight tomorrow with Jet Star and I was wanting to check the weight requirements for my checked bag.”

Jet Star Employee: “What is your name and date of birth… I am sorry ma’am, but you are only allowed a checked bag from Osaka to Fukuoka and not Fukuoka to Bangkok.”

Me: “When I buy a flight and pay for luggage, shouldn’t that be through to my destination?”

Jet Star Employee: “No, ma’am.”

I then inquired into the Dutchman’s ticket and low and behold even though he had been charged for the ticket, Jet Star only had a seat reserved for him on the Fukuoka to Bangkok flight. To say the least we had a stressful evening spending way too much time getting to know Charice from India. We decided to book it to the airport with the hope that the Jet Star desk would still be open. Nope! We got there ten minutes after closing. So we set up camp for another lovely night at Hotel Del Airport.

On the flight I sat next to an executive for an airline company. He is from Australia, but now works in their Japan headquarters. We discussed the oddities of work life in Japan. Just one example he gave was that an employee damaged one of the planes by running into it with a truck. He went to the airport with the head of security to do an audit. He asked the head of security, “So what are you going to ask the employees about the event last week?” The head of security said, “Nothing. We will stick with the safety checklist.” “Yes, but we need to make sure they know what to do if that situation happens again and how to avoid it.” “But it is not on the checklist….” “Ok, let’s say we are doing the audit and there is a fire happening while we are running through the checklist. What should we do?” “Ooooooh that is difficult sir. We must finish the checklist first.”

To be fair he said that his Japanese coworkers would offer to help him with his workload and had excellent work ethic. The problems he faces are around decision making and managing problems or rare events. It all revolves around creative thinking.

After a long 48 hours, I stumbled into the lobby of the Twin Towers Hotel (bad name I know) to see my long-term friend Matt standing there holding my Christmas gift from my parents and godmother. If I hadn’t been loaded down with all my stuff, I would have done a jig. Matt took me on my first tuk tuk and we spent the night catching up over four plates of delicious Thai food. Good thing I have a week to hang out with him cause a few hours wasn’t going to be enough.

Matt and I hit the ground hard our first full day in Bangkok. One aspect of Thailand I really don’t like is that taxi drivers and restaurant promoters are very in your face to the point of being aggressive. The driver of the first taxi we jumped in urged us to allow him to be our tour guide. I have heard that throughout the tour these drivers will take you to their friends’ establishments and in return they receive a cut. We strongly told him all we wanted was a ride to the Grand Palace. In the end we had to go with a tuk tuk. If you go to Thailand, be very cautious of anyone that suggests you join their tour. These same drivers were even standing outside the Grand Palace telling people it was closed and that they would take them to other great sites.

It was a hot and muggy day, but I was excited to rub sweaty elbows with hordes of fellow sightseers. Matt donned a pair of rental pants over his shorts since you are only allowed in with long pants and shirts with sleeves. My guide book said you needed close toed shoes, but that didn’t seem to be the case. From outside the gate the famous gold cone was visible gleaming in the sun. I feel the palace is the number one must-see in Bangkok. It was built in 1782 by Rama I. He moved the capital from Ayutthaya and wanted the palace to show the strength of Thailand and to be more impressive than the grandeur of its predecessor. The massive complex achieved this goal. The buildings that make up the palace complex are very awe-inspiring, but also a bit overwhelming and to an extent gaudy. Out of the many buildings only 6 can be visited. Plan on around 3 hours to see the whole complex and another hour to visit the Reclining Buddha (Wat Po) just one km down the street (Don’t take a Tuk Tuk… Walk). All I can say about the Reclining Buddha is AMAZING. I first learned of it watching The Amazing Race. Since then it has been high on my list of places to visit. It greatly met my expectations.

The most significant building in the palace complex is the Wat Phra Kaew. It is the home of the very famous Emerald Buddha. The name is a bit misleading because the Buddha is actually made of jade. The statue is only 31 inches tall and unfortunately resides on a very tall pedestal. The only person allowed to touch it is the king, who changes the Buddha’s wardrobe three times a year. The statue is believed to have been created in the 14th or 15th century. He was then covered in plaster and completely forgotten. At one point a monk noticed the plaster flaking away from the Buddha’s nose. Low and behold he discovered the true significance of the statue and due to its brilliant green color it was dubbed the Emerald Buddha. He became even more sought after when he was stolen by the Laotians in 1552. He did not return to his homeland until Rama I conquered Vientiane in the 18th Century. The Emerald Buddha is the most sacred Buddha statue in Thailand.

Matt and I then took a longboat tour of the canals and landed at Wat Arun just in time to participate in one of Thailand’s most famous festivals, Loi Krathong. What are the odds that the one day we were in Bangkok coincided with this festival?! Loi Krathong originated in India. People light candles on floats made of dough and send them down river with hopes of expelling bad luck from the previous year and of summoning good luck for the year to come. Some people place their fingernail clippings or hair on the floats so that the water goddess knows who they are, along with money to appease her. Matt and I snagged a spot right on the river bank and watched the colorful boat floats go by, the fire work show, and people lighting their dough floats and lanterns. Behind us were a few streets of street food, performers, monks blessing people with holy water, and people hanging money in front of the temple. Don’t worry the day wasn’t over yet! We headed to the famous party street Khao Sun Road to meet up with his college friend Danaan.

We had a jam packed first day to say the least. Next up Railay Beach!

0 Comments

Exploring Kyoto's Temples

11/4/2014

0 Comments

 
The rain set in and kept the entire city of Kyoto company for our last two days. Taking the weather in stride we decide to explore a couple extra temples. The first was Sho-ren-in. At one point after the Imperial Palace burned down the emperor lived there and afterwards the temple maintained close ties to the imperial family. The tea house on the back of the property, where we participated in a traditional tea ceremony, was the emperor’s personal study chamber. Entrance to the temple cost 500 Yen and to join a private tea ceremony cost 1,000 Yen. The price felt a bit steep, but the grounds were serene and viewing them with the rain actually enhanced the experience. Plus, our visit corresponded with one of the few days a year when guests may join the tea ceremonies.

 We sat for some time just watching the rain bounce off the pond. The garden was built in the Muromachi era and is famous for its pond with large rocks and a small island. Behind the pond tall bamboo trees stand guard watching over who comes and goes. We strolled through the garden to tea house and were greeted by a gregarious New Zealander. He was very outgoing and very excited to give a tour to native English speakers. His job is to translate and make sure foreigners understand the ceremony. Even though I greatly enjoyed talking with him, his constant babbling did detract from the very quiet and precise movements of the tea master. He explained that there was about a 100 year period when there were no wars and the samurai had nothing to do. The entire class of samurai couldn’t have jobs because their job was to be ready to fight. Thus, they had a lot of time on their hands. They were the ones who greatly refined the certain Japanese cultural activities such as calligraphy, tea drinking, pottery, etc. Long ago it would have only been men in a tea ceremony. As we exited the building he offered to sell me his car for my New Zealand trip.  

The rest of the day was spent walking through some of Kyoto’s old streets. Many temples were lit up to celebrate autumn. A woman even tried to sell me hair pins and what I fondly call hair skewers. She grabbed my ponytail and started twisting it. She went to shove a “hair skewer" into my wad of hair and sheened off some of my scalp. OUCH. We all headed back to my host’s dormitory to make dinner. We had a great night with the bubbly Van cutting veggies and cooking up a delicious stew.  

The next day we had a reservation at 1:00pm to visit Koinzan Saihoji also known as Kokedera (Moss Temple). Now get this if you want to visit this temple, you have to make a reservation through snail mail at least two weeks in advance. You must include a self-addressed envelope in which they can send you your reservation acceptance. I had several problems making this reservation seeing as I no longer have a home address. Luckily, my brother’s good friend, Miyuki, lives in Tokyo and offered to mail it in for me. Once she received the temple’s response she just took a picture of it and emailed it to me. AWESOME. Thanks Miyuki. Once inside the temple we had to pay 3,000 Yen… again OUCH. For those considering the temple I personally don’t think it is worth that much. We sat and completed a calligraphy sutra (copied Chinese characters with a calligraphy brush). Then proceeded to walk around the moss garden. It definitely has a fairy tale feel to it. There are 120 varieties of moss in the garden. Several of the large pond’s islands were interconnected by moss covered bridges. With the right lightening this garden could offer some spectacle photography. One reason I don’t recommend it is because it isn’t that close to the city and really takes up three fourths of a day.

Before heading back into the city we checked out Arashiyama the famous bamboo forest. I look forward to revisiting it in the spring earlier in the day. For dinner we hunted down a vegetarian restaurant called Choice. You have to pay a premium for vegetarian fare here, but it did taste oh so good. We said goodbye to Van and headed out to meet back up with our previous host Takao in Osaka. Next stop THAILAND.  

Picture
0 Comments

Deer Haven- Nara

10/31/2014

0 Comments

 
  Nara along with Kyoto possess most of Japan’s cultural heritage sites. In Nara alone there are 8 UNESCO World Heritage Sites. The first permanent capital of Japan was set up in 710 AD in Nara. It remained there only until 794. In the 500’s Buddhism first came to Japan and in the 600’s it began to spread throughout the country. By the time Nara was established as the capital Buddhism was already taking root in Japan and many temples had already been constructed in the area including the famous Horyuji. Horyuji (ji=temple) was one of the first large Buddhist temples to be built in Japan. It is also one of the oldest standing temples and its grounds supposedly house the “world’s oldest surviving wooden structures”. The emperor who planned to build it was very ill and hoped that his construction would bring him health. He died before ground was broken, but his son carried on his devotion and completed the temple. Before the construction of Horyuji, Buddhism was the religion of the nobles. Through the prince’s actions and the work of the temple Buddhism became popular amongst the commoners. This would have far reaching ramifications for the future of Buddhism in Japan. Another reason Horyuji is so famous is that it is the first location selected as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Japan. If you love history, you should visit both Kyoto and Nara as a joint trip. Many people do Nara as a day trip from Kyoto, but they are not able to do both Horyuji and Nara Park. We actually spent more time than the average traveler by staying three nights.  This was unnecessary, but we were able to go at a slow relaxing pace.

Our first night in Nara we decided to take it easy and have an internet evening. So where better to go than Starbucks. Tim got a map from our hostel and asked for directions. We had two options to either pay 160 to take a train directly to Starbucks or to walk roughly 30 minutes. My lovely travel partners wanting to be cheap thought walking would be the better option. Let’s just say the map of Nara they hand out to all the tourists is not drawn to scale. It took us 50 minutes. Moral of the story: DON’T BE CHEAP.

The next day we headed to Horyuji. It is just three stations away from Nara JR Station, but also requires a bus to get to the temple itself. The temple was beautiful, but overrun by school groups. The entrance ticket included a small museum that has some nice Buddhist relics dating back as far as the 700’s. Unless you are a history buff or are really interested in Buddhism, I would recommend just visiting Nara Park.

The second day we headed to Nara Park. Nara is famous for two things: Deer and its big Buddha. As you approach the park there are many vendors selling deer feed for 150 Yen (1.50 USD). A local had advised us to not feed the deer at the entrance of the park. They tend to be a bit too aggressive. The more timid deer are deeper in the park and it is easier to only interact with one or two deer farther in opposed to the large groups at the gate. Right off the bat one of us who will remain unnamed was bitten by a female deer. She bit so hard that his love handle is now bruised. It was a nice memory I shall keep forever. I may be a bit dark and twisted inside.

We followed the trail straight for the most important site, Toda-ji Temple. This temple made Nara worth it. It is the world’s largest wooden structure and on a clear day is absolutely stunning. This is a must see in Japan. Warrant I do have a soft spot for big Buddhas (I also love the one in Hong Kong). The large building houses a Vairocana Buddha cast in Bronze and then plated in gold. It was first built in 752, but has been repaired throughout the centuries. Several earthquakes have led to its hands and head falling off. Thus, the current head was cast in the Edo Period. It is pretty obvious the head and body come from different centuries. That is ok because it is still a wonderful thing to behold. When I first stepped in, it took a while for my eyes to adjust past the dust in the air and to focus in on the black strong figure of the seated Buddha. He is flanked by two impressive statues of gold. Behind him stand two more statues of wood. There is a pillar with a hole (same size as the Buddha’s nostril) large enough for a young child. Supposedly anyone who can fit through the hole will obtain enlightenment. Quick push me through! Unfortunately, my imaginative third butt cheek Frankie prevented me from fitting. Perhaps I will share the back story on Frankie in the coming posts.

There are 12 sites we visited along the trail in the park. I am only going to mention two more Kofukuji and Kasuga Shrine. Kofukuji has two pagodas and is worth a photo stop. The interesting thing about this temple is that it was moved several times along with the changing of the seat of power (Kyoto - Asuka- Nara). Kasuga Shrine is famous for its stairways lined with stone lanterns. Both the shrine and temple were significant to the Fujiwara family. The Fujiwara were the true power behind the throne during the Heian Period and earlier. They did an excellent job of intermarrying their girls with the imperial family and thus most emperors owed them some form of familial loyalty.

Also, worthy of note is that you can pay a small fee to climb the hill behind the park. It provides beautiful views of Nara Park and the city. We didn’t do it mainly due to the overcast sky.

There are roughly 1,200 deer in the park. It is amazing how used to human interaction they are. They have no problem walking up and putting their nuzzle in your purse or nipping your pant leg just to say, “Hey, what you got?” We saw several males duking it out over what appeared to be prime real estate mud patches. It didn’t feel all that sanitary, but feeding the deer was fun.

We had some cool interactions with people. There were a ton of school groups with the assignment of speaking English with foreign tourists. They would approach and say, “Hello. Do you have a minute? My name is Taisuke and I am a student at Gifu Elementary School. Where are you from?” After we signed our names over our country on a world map, they would hand us origami or a bookmark. For some reason Myles was much more popular than Tim and I. What the heck? He looks Asian. Tim and I obviously look foreign. I guess they are drawn to his boyish smile like flies are drawn to dung. Yes, Myles I just compared you to dung. All the students were very sweet and it was great chatting with them. I saw several running from the hordes of deer in fear. I did take some pleasure in this. Again, I may be slightly twisted inside. We also met an Italian couple at our hostel. I almost had a heart attack when they told me they have to return to Italy on November 3rd for the start of olive picking season. Their family owns olive groves in Cortona. Even better he knows Frances Mayes!!!!! She wrote Under the Tuscan Sun. Watch the movie and you too will love Tuscany. His mother is also a professor of Art History in Rome. Stop! Just stop! I want to be Italian and pick olives while listening to my mother discuss postwar art finds. They offered to host me when I am back in Rome. Don’t worry, I am already planning my return J. 


0 Comments

Osaka Marathon

10/27/2014

0 Comments

 
There were a few cool highlights of the marathon I would love to share. The first was before the race even began. At registration I was watching 8 Japanese workers teach a crowd how to stretch and warm up using a duster. They were shuffling along on their tip toes gyrating their dusters in the air. I whispered to myself, “Wow, that is...” An American voice came up right behind me and said, “I totally agree. I live here and I don’t even get it.” His name was Eric and he is an intellectual property lawyer from New York.  He walked around the expo with us and showed us a store next door called the LOFT. This place is like IKEA+Spencers+Bed Bath & Beyond+ a stationery store. He showed us some of the really odd merchandise that is prevalent for sale here. Please, note the girls licking doorknobs. Enough said.

The second was the comradery we shared with all the Taiwanese runners. They were all sporting the Taiwanese flag on their cheeks, shirts, or were carrying a flag itself. Every time we were near one of these groups we would yell “Jiao Jiao! We love Taiwan!!” They were all very receptive and would applaud. At one point a man ran up and shoved a Taiwanese lady. I leaned over to her group and whispered, “He is NOT Taiwanese…” They immediately began to laugh and said, “Thank you!” After the race I ran around asking any Taiwanese people I saw to take pictures with me. I then had to explain that I in fact did not have a phone or camera with me, so they were going to have to add me on line and send me the picture later. All were very friendly and excited to chat.  The Taiwanese are much more inviting to interact with strangers.

The race began right next to one of Osaka’s main attractions, Osaka Castle. The castle glinted in the morning sun and a bit of steam rose off the moat. It really made for a perfect beginning to the day. The course wound around the city and is famous for its yellow fan leaves. It was really nice to see all of Osaka’s modern buildings and bridges. I personally like Osaka more than Tokyo. Tokyo is just too big and it is hard to get around. Osaka is still a large city, but is much more manageable from a transit perspective. There were photographers posted around the course. At a couple points I stopped people dressed up in costumes and gestured for them to go over to the photographer with me. I said, “One, Two, Three Jump”. So there will be some good jump photos heading worldlygnome’s way.

The day came to a close with some kindness from strangers. Myles made a comment that he really wished they had Osaka Marathon jackets for sale. So I hobbled over to a group of volunteers who were all wearing awesome marathon volunteer jackets. I asked, “Excuse me. Can I buy these jackets anywhere?” They all shook their heads, but one girl said, “You can have mine.” WHAT!? I couldn’t believe it. I rambled a mile a minute and asked them about their majors and where they were each from. The girl who gave me her hat and jacket is from Korea and is studying here for four years. Another girl gave her jacket to Myles and one of the guys gave his hat and jacket to Tim. I was blown away. The jackets and hats are really special to us and will always be a reminder to pass the kindness we have received forward.

0 Comments

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!

10/26/2014

1 Comment

 
Picture
Picture
I just ran 26.2 miles and I did it in honor of my brother. My completion of the 2014 Osaka Marathon is greatly owed to my eldest brother, Tim…

 In university I was very close to my advisor. One day I was sitting in her office and she randomly asked me about my brothers. She had noticed the week prior that I had mentioned they were significantly older than I was and she wondered how big the age gap was. I told her 8 and 12. She was absolutely taken aback and couldn’t believe it. She said all the research shows that in normal circumstances the only way siblings are that close with a large age gap is when the sister is older. At the time I thought nothing of it. The week before graduation she called me to her office and asked if she could meet my parents and brothers. After spending four years getting to know me and hearing me talk about my family, she felt there must be something unique about them and was very curious to see us all together. Since she brought this to my attention, I am very aware of how lucky I am and how rare my clan is.

Everyone has a different love language and as a small child I didn’t understand my brother’s. I have always been very verbal in expressing my affection and he shows his love through kind actions. Now that I am an adult, I couldn’t appreciate him more. He is constantly doing things for other people and he doesn’t do it with the hope of self-glorification. He is also very thoughtful and always takes others into consideration.  On top of all this he is one of the most intellectual people I know and has a wit that could make him famous if given the right venue. That being said, thank you Tim for supporting me throughout my life. You have encouraged me in my pursuit of photography, travel, blogging, and now running. I wouldn’t trade you in for a newer model, even if I could.

I would now like to turn attention to the person who pushed me to keep going during the marathon, Myles. He is a well accomplished runner having completed several 50 mile races with one of them being over a mountain (twice). He was incredibly patient with me, but still urged me to go faster. He monitored my salt and GU intake and shared his knowledge of marathons. If it hadn’t been for him pulling me along at mile 20 and the voice of my brother willing me to keep going, I may have stopped 6.2 miles out. Thank you Myles for your partnership and support!

Last but not least I would like to thank Tim, the Dutchman. Now to make things less confusing I will refer to Tim as the Dutchman. Whenever I speak to my brother Tim, he refuses to listen to my stories if I refer to Dutch Tim as Tim. Thus, I will do the same here. I met the Dutchman in 2012 sitting in a hostel in Rome waiting to be trained by my new boss. It turned out he was to be my peer and that we were both starting off as tour guides at the same time. It quickly became evident that we were going to be good friends. He is a very intelligent person and shares my passion for history. I think one of his most distinct characteristics is that he is a very loyal and supportive friend. Before the marathon he researched the route and how he would be able to meet up with us. He got up early the day of and met us with supplies EIGHT times. We were even able to avoid catastrophe (like the Rome marathon in 2012… sorry Andrea) by meeting up at the finish. Thank you Dutchman for being such a fun and supportive friend. I appreciate your company and am so happy to share this time with you on the road.

I would also like to thank all my family members who got up at 3am to hear the results of the race. Your enthusiasm made the day even more rewarding.


1 Comment

Tokyo

10/25/2014

0 Comments

 
After the 2.5 hour train ride to Tokyo we all met with my host Daitsuke, his wife Miki, and their baby Uto.  We lucked out because they were on their way to visit one of the most famous shrines in Tokyo, so we joined them. The Meiji shrine was built in 1920 (destroyed during WWII and rebuilt in 1958) by Emperor Meiji and his wife the Empress Shoken. During their reign they spent a lot of time at the shrine and the nearby garden. I found it interesting that one of the large torii (gates) leading up to the shrine was made from a 1,500 year old cypress from Mt. Tandai in Taiwan. There were also several plaques honoring the friendship between the French and the Japanese. I am assuming this has something to do with the French supporting the Emperor long ago at the end of the Shogunate Period.

We also walked along Yoyogi Park, which disconcertingly had signs posted warning about Dengue Fever. On the way home we stopped by Shibuya and took some photos of the famous busy intersection.

The next two days were spent at Disney Sea and Disneyland. Tokyo’s Disneyland is very similar to all other Disneylands except for the fact that everything is in Japanese. I didn’t even think about that because when we went to Disneyland Hong Kong everything was in English with Cantonese subtitles. The only thing that felt different from other parks was their new Monster’s Inc. ride. The whole park was decorated for Halloween and there were many performances with skeletons and ghosts. We had a great time, but definitely noticed that there were much longer wait times than other parks. Having grown up with a mother and godmother who are Disney fans, I knew how to strategically attack the park. First thing you do is get a list of all the rides that accept single riders. To fill all the rides they will allow people riding by themselves to cut the line completely!

Tokyo is the only place in the world with a Disney Sea. I personally found it very very very disappointing. It was pretty small and didn’t have many rides. Best rides were Journey to the Center of the Earth and Indiana Jones. One of the shows I found a bit culturally insulting. The premise is that Mickey went on a world cruise and brought back food from all over the world. France had sexy desserts, Mexico has spicy tacos, Japan had sophisticated sushi, and the US has hamburgers carrying French fries as guns. The worst part was the hamburgers were doing belly flops off the ketch bottle. REALLY? I bet you I eat double the amount of vegetables the average Japanese person eats. One of our hosts told me that the running joke is that Americans think pizza is a vegetable because it has potatoes. My pizza doesn’t usually have potatoes does yours? The same host also told me all Americans like to shoot people because of video games…

Day four in Tokyo was spent at the Tokyo National Museum. We were really excited to see the 17th century wood block prints of the famous landscapes of Mt. Fuji and with our luck none of them were on display. It would be like the Louvre placing the Mona Lisa in the back just to freshen up the collection. This museum is supposed to be the best in Japan (I liked the Edo-Tokyo museum better). It has a nice collection of Kimonos, Noh and Kabuki masks/costumes (Kabuki is a form of theater dating from the early Edo period and Noh predates that by several hundred years), Buddhist sculptures, calligraphy, samurai armor, and not so exciting tea utensils. I did find the floor with Japanese archeological artifacts interesting. There were pieces dating back to Jomon Period (14,500-300 BC). It is amazing to compare the artwork of the people living on the Japanese archipelago to the Greeks. I have to say the Greeks were light years ahead. The building to the right of the main building houses archeological finds from outside of Japan (several pieces were gifts from other governments like Egypt and Iraq).  There is also a gallery of Buddhist treasures gifted by the Horyu-ji temple in Nara. After the museum we trudged through the rain to a famous Japanese fast food style ramen restaurant (Ichiran). We sat at a long counter with stools. Each seat was divided by a small swinging door to separate you from the stranger next to you. In front of us were blinds that would open when the waiter delivered your food. Before entering we had placed our money in a vending machine like machine and pressed the button that corresponded with the meal we wanted. The machine printed off a small slip of paper which we then slid under the blinds. Pretty interesting form of fast food.

The last day in Tokyo we visited the Tokyo-Edo Museum. I highly recommend visiting it! Before the Meiji Restoration (1860’s) Tokyo was named Edo, hence the name. It has creative displays that make envisioning life in the Edo period plausible. There was a model of the city with merchants, farmers, fishermen, and everyday people walking through the streets. The buildings definitely had the same architecture we saw in Takayama. There was a life size reconstruction of one of Edo’s most famous theaters and one of Nihonbashi (a very famous bridge). The museum had a lot of information on the water system of that era and how they fought fires, the currency/economy, and the lengthy process of publishing copies of famous wood block prints (Ukiyo-e). I thought it was interesting that they used wood pipes during that time because wood was the easiest and cheapest material to fix after any of Japan’s many earthquakes. I was taking my time and reading everything only to discover there was a whole section dedicated to the 1900’s. It was a shame to run through that part of the museum. There were life size models of homes and information about what life was like in Japan during WWII. They have the original Japanese Instrument (Declaration) of Surrender! I was surprised to see it. It was signed on September 2, 1945 on the USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay. They also had the newspapers from the US on the day after surrender. This is absolutely a must see. If you do visit, also check out the National Sumo Stadium next door. Miki and Uto joined us for the museum and dinner. We took her to have her first Cinnabon and enjoyed hanging out with the baby. Throughout our time together I was amazed by how quiet and calm he was even if he was hungry or tired.

The next day was a 12 hour bus ride to Osaka. My recommendation is don’t be cheap and just take the train J. We stayed with a very nice host named Takao.

0 Comments

Day 43- Fuji/Misaka

10/22/2014

0 Comments

 
Today was one of the best days thus far.  We didn’t do anything extremely amazing or unique, but we spent our time in good company. It just goes to show that people are what make a place special. Mizuki and her British boyfriend, Rob, drove from Misaka (suburb of Kofu) to Mt. Fuji to hike with us. They picked us up at our hotel and drove us to a smaller mountain with a great view of Fuji. The hike up took us just over an hour. I enjoyed my conversation with Mizuki so much, that the hike just flew by. She spent a year teaching Japanese in Portland and that alone gave us a ton to talk about. Poor Rob had to continually listen to Portland’s many great attributes. She told me about her host family. The mother is a professor of Nutrition and actually hopes to conduct research in Japan. Japan is famous for having very healthy school lunches, so she hopes to look into the long term health benefits of the Japanese school lunch program. Pretty cool! Mizuki also told me about several of her perceptions of life in the US. She said that she felt young school children were more accepting of other students being different (fat, a different color, or simply having a unique style). She also felt that the gap between rich and poor was more obvious and much larger. It was really nice hearing her enthusiasm and admiration of Portland. I have always known I was lucky to grow up in such an open-minded and progressive city, but hearing it from someone not from there was a nice reminder.

Rob was also superb company. He is a very funny and kind person. He was hilarious to watch interacting with Mizuki’s family and neighbor. It is obvious that they hold him in high regard and have greatly accepted him into the family.

My favorite part about hiking in Asia is that everyone dresses as if they are climbing a much more serious mountain than what they really are. Many people had bells on their bags to scare away bears, most people had hiking poles, and everyone was wearing the appropriate hiking attire. When I hike, I usually don’t bring the bells and whistles, but I do make food a priority!

Once back in the car we spotted a Japanese antelope crossing the road. Since being in Japan, we have seen a mother snow monkey with her baby, a fox, a badger, and now a Japanese antelope. It really looked more like a large goat to me, but we looked it up and sure enough it is classified as an antelope. Mizuki drove us to Fruit Park in Misaka and then to a bomb-diggity curry restaurant. Curry rocks for many reasons one being that it offers vegetarian options. Chana masala- Yes, Please! Oh and banana lassi!

The rest of the evening was spent at Mizuki’s lovely home with her incredibly welcoming family. They alone have been the best part of Japan. Her father wrestled my Dutch friend Tim to the ground and tickled his feet, continually left the room and returned with Mizuki’s brother’s clothes to give to the guys (a pair of pants, three pairs of shorts, a sweater, two shoulder bags, and a pair of ear muffs), and took photos with me wearing her brother’s fireman’s helmet. He made me laugh to the point of tears. Her mother cut up a persimmon for us and explained that Yamanashi is famous for its grapes, peaches, and persimmons. We all sat around and watched a Japanese gangster movie. The whole family is very special and have made the trip feel worthwhile. I am so jealous of Rob for getting to spend so much quality time with these great people.

0 Comments
<<Previous
Forward>>

    Hi, I'm Kristin!

    I am an avid traveler who also loves photography, history, and food. Life is short and I am trying to gather as many special memories as I can.

    Picture

    Archive

    Argentina-USA
    Uruguay-Chile

    Argentina-Bolivia

    Pacific Ocean

    Vietnam- Korea

    Vietnam

    Thailand Again
    Laos-Cambodia-Malaysia
    Thailand to Laos
    Japan to Thailand
    Japan 1

    Taiwan 2
    Taiwan 1
    Thanks to these supporters!
    Picture

    Travel Resume:
    Mexico (1990)
    Brazil (2003)
    England (2007)
    Zambia (2007)
    Zimbabwe (2007)
    Slovakia (2007)
    Italy (2007)
    Germany (2007)
    Czech Republic (2007)
    Poland (2007)
    Croatia (2007)
    Bosnia (2007)
    Belgium (2007)
    The Netherlands (2007)
    Sweden (2007)
    France (2007)
    Ireland (2007)
    England (2008)
    Canada (2008)
    Italy (2009)
    Austria (2009)
    Hungary (2009)
    Germany (2009)
    Italy (2012)
    Turkey (2012)
    Taiwan (2012-2014)
    China (2012)
    Hong Kong (2013 & 2014)
    Macau (2014)
    Japan (2014)
    Thailand (2014)
    Laos (2014)
    Cambodia (2014)

    Malaysia (2014)
    Singapore (2015)
    Thailand (2015)
    Vietnam (2015)
    South Korea (2015)

    Japan (2015)
    Taiwan (2015)
    Australia (2015)
    New Zealand (2015)
    French Polynesia (2015)
    Canada (2015)
    USA (2015)
    Argentina (2015)
    Uruguay (2015)
    Bolivia (2015)
    Chile (2015)
    USA (2016)
    ​Belize (2016)
    Guatemala (2016)
    ​Costa Rica (2016)
    ​Greece (2016)
    Switzerland (2016)
    Liechtenstein (2016)
    Austria (2016)
    Germany (2016)
    ​
    Italy (2016)
    United Arab Emirates (2016)
Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.